Where, oh where does the time go? One minute I was packing up my treasures and heading to Chipping Sodbury for the very first Vintage and Handmade Textile Fair and the next, it's nearly two weeks later! Anyway, I hope that the adage "better late than never" goes some way to making up for my recent non-bloggingness!

It really was a fabulous day. Michele and Jayne, as always, did a wonderful job of organising and running everything. The atmosphere at the Old Grammar School Rooms was buzzing and for me it felt like a day out meeting up with old friends.

Here's my stall at the start of the day, just before the doors were opened and the fair was declared officially open.

I had great 'next door neighbours' in the hall. On one side was the lovely Viv of Hensteeth, with her wonderful creations. We managed to have a jolly good catch up in between customers...most exciting of all is Viv's new space at The Wear-House in Ludlow. I for one can't wait to pop in for a browse!

Viv had all sorts of gorgeous vintage textile-ness to tempt us with! From buttons and lace...

...to these glorious treasures.

My other 'next door neighbour' was the very talented Suzie Johnson of The Wool Sanctuary (on the right) and her friend Annie.

You may recognise the knitted beach huts from 'Kirstie's Homemade Home' as Suzie was one of the creative bods who was featured. I loved hearing all about Suzie's adventures as a tv star!

A group photo (from left to right): Barb (one half of WooBarb), Viv, Donna, Woo (the other half of WooBarb), Aileen (Donna's lovely mum) and me.

Mr Treasure was an absolute hero all day - carrying boxes and baskets to and from the car, making sure I didn't collapse in a heap of excitement or panic (as this was my first ever foray into the world of fairs!), fetching mugs of tea, fluffing cushions and straightening linens.

Donna found herself a new dress on Lizzie's stall and it was as if it was made for her! Mummy Treasure said that Donna reminded her of one of those polish dolls, so we borrowed one from Viv's stall for this photo!

Emma Boyne's gorgeous print block cushions, complete with vintage fabric backing.

I could happily have taken home everything that Woo and Barb had made!

No textile fair would be complete without the fabulous Donna Flower!

Handmade by Jayne, I think this has to be not just the prettiest, but also the yummiest cupcake I've ever had!

I was drawn to Sal's gorgeous 1940's fabrics like a moth to a flame!

This is some of them close up.

Here's Selvedge magazine's stall.

Shabby Chick's stall was a feast of vintage loveliness.

Handmade treasures from Hen.

Lizzie's stall, complete with vintage buttons and stashes of enticing fabric.

I couldn't come home from the fair without making a few purchases! One of Viv's fabulous brooches, some glorious '40's fabric from Sal and beautifully wrapped parcels from Woo and Barb...

...that contained these delights. A pin cushion by Woo and one of Barb's needlecases.

What a fabulous day it was...I can't wait for the next V&H fair!

One One Day to Go...

It's a flurry of activity here in the Treasure household at the moment. Our dining room has been completely taken over by everything I'll be taking to tomorrow's first ever Vintage and Handmade Textile Fair in Chipping Sodbury!

Mr Treasure has been an absolute trooper and very understanding of the downstairs of our house becoming a haven for all things vintage! He even went beyond the call of duty last night and ironed all of the linens I'll be selling (as I have a habit of running out of time and then tearing around like a whirlwind in a panic!)

Just a taster of what will be on my stall. I have all sorts of things for sale, from vintage sewing and textiles-related goodies, to my very own vintage-inspired handmade pieces.

One of the great things about the Vintage and Handmade Fairs is the lovely people that I get to meet, so do come along and say "hello". It's always fabulous to put a face to a blog!

Featuring vintage clothing, fabrics, haberdashery, textile art, knitting, crochet and much more!

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, BS37 6AD

Saturday 3rd July 2010. 10am-4pm

Refreshing drinks and yummy cakes will be available in the Fair's very own tearoom.

Contemporary Crafts at Bovey Tracey

It's been rather a long time since I last visited Blogland...house extensions, holidays and City and Guilds coursework have been keeping me entertained, but I'm here again now (and very much looking forward to reading everyone else's blogs and catching up with what's been going on).

Mr Treasure and have just returned from a glorious holiday in Cornwall. We stayed in St. Ives, which we absolutely love...to the point that we miss it like crazy when we're not there! Luckily, our holiday coincided with The Contemporary Craft Fair in Bovey Tracey, so we made a small detour on our way to sunny St. Ives...

This was my first trip to The Contemporary Craft Fair, so I had no idea what to expect. I thought it was FABULOUS! So many brilliant designers, with gorgeous things for sale. I could have happily given a home to so much of what we saw...including this jolly mosaic teapot.

Hand dyed stitched textiles by Rachel Gornall. Such intricate work and gorgeous colours.

Victoria Lindo's textile pictures made me smile.

Gorgeous ceramic pots by Rosanna Martin.

I loved the vibrant colours of Rachel Coleman's work. Her stand looked rather fab too.

I've seen Jennifer Collier's work lots of times in magazines, so I got very excited when I spotted her stand at the Fair! Her paper dress designs were my favourite. I love the fact that Jennifer uses all sorts of bits and bobs of ephemera in her work.

Rows of Jennifer Collier's pretty paper shoes.

Another designer whose work I've admired is Sarah Nicol. Not only does she make lovely little textile houses, she also designs a range of gorgeous slip painted ceramics. [I've just read the Fair catalogue again to make sure I've spelt Sarah's name right and found that she lives in Malvern, where I grew up! It's a small world!]

Now, I don't normally turn into a crazed fan, but I did just a little bit when I met the very lovely Poppy Treffry! Definitely the highlight of the Fair for me!

I was very taken with 'The Sustainable Contemporary Garden'. How fabulous would it be to have this pavilion in our garden?! I tried persuading Mr Treasure that this would be the perfect studio for me to work away in at the bottom of the garden. Despite the prospect of being able to claim back the parts of the house I've taken over with my work, books, things to sell at vintage fairs etc, he didn't exactly rush to buy one straight away!

Here I am with my new Poppy Treffry cupcakes tea towel after a truly inspiring and enjoyable afternoon. I'll certainly be pencilling The Contemporary Craft Fair into my diary for next year!

...DON'T MISS...DON'T MISS...DON'T MISS...

The first ever Vintage and Handmade Textile Fair is only a week or so away. I'll be there with lots of vintage textile and sewing goodies and my own designs of vintage-inspired decorations for sale. Do come and say "hello"!

Saturday, 3rd July

10am-4pm

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, BS37 6AD

It's always lovely to find new places and meet new people, especially when there's a sense of serendipity about it.

Mr Treasure and I just happened to be in the pretty market town of Ledbury on the day that this enticing new shop opened. It's bursting to the seams with fabulous vintage (and new) treasures that the shop's stylish owner, Michelle, has handpicked. The pair of us hit it off straight away and spent ages chattering about the gloriousness that is all things vintage! Let me take you on a tour...

Through the door...

...and into what can only be described as a vintage-lover's paradise!

Even the till has a vintage feel to it!

Michelle makes lots of textile goodies to sell in her shop. She also has bits and pieces for sale that are made by other people... and I'm very excited to report that there are now a few Textile Treasure Seeker creations on the shelves too!

I've made little lavender cushions and hanging decorations, plus some sewing cases for storing all the bits and bobs you need when tackling a stitching project. The three pieces in the middle of the photo are my little creations!

Handmade bears, bags and aprons sit alongside vintage ballet shoes and shoe stays.

I love Michelle's vintage mannequin and the way she displays jewellery on it. I can't help but be drawn to it every time I go into the shop!

Imagine how lovely it would be to have afternoon tea with this pretty china. Cucumber sandwich anyone?!

There are even a couple of my lavender cushions in the window, displaying some of the fabulous jewellery that Michelle sells. I use vintage fabric, embroideries and trimmings to make my cushions, cases and decorations...there's nothing quite like working with things that have a history.

These gorgeous vintage trimmings were in the window last time I popped in...they're almost too lovely to use!

Do go and visit Michelle if you're in the area (and then treat yourself to tea and cake at my favourite cafe-deli, Cameron and Swan!)

Vintage Blue

Homend Mews, The Homend, Ledbury, HR8 1BN

T: 01531 632200

If I Could Live in a Shop I'd Choose...

This is the fabulous Rosablue on the Bath Road in Cheltenham. It's run by the lovely Penny, who has a great eye for gorgeous things.

My eyes won't stop darting about whenever I go in - there's so much to look at (and drool over!) Here's a little tour of what I discovered on my last visit...

There's the most wonderful smell of lavender in the shop. It's so relaxing...

...if the smell makes you sleepy, there's a gorgeous selection of pyjamas and vintage eiderdowns for sale. I'm sure Penny wouldn't mind if you curled up in a Roasblue deckchair for a quick nap!

Rosablue sells all sorts of must have things for our homes, made from the fabrics that are created at The Fabric Press (by her husband, Luca)...everything from doorstops and notice boards, to make up bags, totes and these rather splendid tea towels and peg bags.

I love going into the shop for a mooch and a chat with Penny. We usually natter about fairs we've been to, blogs we've read and Julie Arkell (whose work we both love. We're desperate to go on one of Julie's courses too! Go on Penny, get Julie to come to Cheltenham!)

Penny's been wonderful with advice since I started the 'Textile Treasure Seeker' label and my line of vintage-inspired fripperies. I'm so grateful to her for the tips and ideas she's given me.

(little fanfare) I'm also over the moon to be able to announce that my vintage fabric badges are on sale in the shop. Woo hoo! It's so exciting to see something you've made in a shop window!

Here's hoping they sell out really quickly so I can have fun making some more!